


The Spare

by Ciesste



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-01-11 03:45:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciesste/pseuds/Ciesste
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sawada Tsunayoshi was told to take care of his younger twin brother. He may not have the intelligence, the skills, or (sometimes) the desire to do so, but it's what he's been brought up to do and that's enough. Still, he can't help but hope that one day, he can have some of the same things as his brother - success, happiness, popularity, and friends. </p>
<p>He just might have to take a rather convoluted route to get it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** The Katekyo Hitman Reborn (KHR) characters, world, and overall plot belong to Akira Amano.  
>  The ideas of: Tsuna having a twin (who is a bully), becoming Kyouya’s friend before high school, and eventually moving to Italy are cywscross’s (http://archiveofourown.org/users/cywscross) and have been used with her permission. Also, go read all of her stuff. Seriously, she’s amazing – everything she touches is magic.
> 
> **Author’s Note:**  
>  Never thought I’d return to writing fanfiction. And yet, here we are. Couple notes:  
> (1) **This story will be GEN, outside of canon pairings** (like Nana and Iemitsu, for example).  
>  (2) I’ve written through chapter six but I won’t be posting chapter two until I finish writing chapter seven. Just so you know!  
> (3) If you notice anything in the fic that doesn’t make sense/is misspelled/etc, please tell me!  
> (4) Cross-posted on FFN! (Same username.)
> 
> Aaaaaaaaand, I think that’s it! Hope you enjoy!

At age six, there were a slew of words that could be used to describe Sawada Tsunayoshi: clumsy, below average, the older twin, a loser, invisible.

Some of the descriptions made sense, he supposed. Even still, the only words _he_ ever used to describe himself were ‘observant’ and ‘self-reliant’; there wasn’t enough opportunity for him to be much else, at least not in his family.

He got along well enough with his parents – when his younger twin, Ieshige, wasn’t demanding attention and they remembered him – but with his brother…?

_Well_. He and Shige gave whole new dimensions to the term ‘opposites.’

Shige was everything Tsuna wasn’t. He was athletic, charismatic, and driven. He didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and if he wanted something, he made sure of two things: (1) that he got it and (2) that Tsuna _didn’t_.

But Tsuna wouldn’t – couldn’t – complain. As soon as he’d grown old enough to comprehend it, his father had pulled him aside and stressed that, as the older twin, it was his job to look out for Shige. Even at four, Tsuna hadn’t quite understood, considering he was only the older brother by twelve minutes. But his father had looked quite serious, so he’d nodded and tried to figure out what ‘looking out for Shige’ entailed.

Shige was loved and adored by all. No one believed he did anything wrong. He was described in glowing terms.

How did one look out for someone who had everything?

Despite the times when Shige insulted him, made fun of him, or bullied him, Tsuna loved his brother and would do anything – would put up with anything – to make him happy.

Because, really… what other option did he have?

[1]

Tsuna watched, he listened, and he was good at it. He had to be in order to watch out for Shige.

Even when he was distracted by his math homework – something that typically took up all his focus because the numbers _never made sense_ – he paid attention to his surroundings.

Thus, he knew the exact moment when Shige’s boredom reached critical mass and he turned his attention to Tsuna. He knew that if he glanced up, he’d see the smirk that crossed Shige’s face; it was one that practically screamed ‘danger’ to Tsuna’s practiced senses.

“Struggling with your math again, Dame-Tsuna? Just give up. You suck at it anyway.”

Tsuna kept his head down and attempted to continue his homework. The material the teachers went over in class always seemed to make sense with them hovering over him but never when he tried to do it on his own. Oh, irony.

“Just another way I’m the better twin, right, Dame-Tsuna?”

Tsuna wished his brother would stop calling him that, especially as it wasn’t true. Shige had friends, support, and attention but since Tsuna didn’t really care for any of that, it wasn’t a win in his book. There were a bunch of things at which Tsuna was “better than Shige”; he just didn’t try to rub them in Shige’s face at every opportunity.

He knew it was wishful thinking. No one could make Ieshige do anything he didn’t want to. And those who tried, well. The bruises on his arms from when Tsuna had asked Shige to help clean the house earlier hadn’t healed yet.

Their mother always seemed amused whenever she caught sight of the bruises, laughing and teasing him over how clumsy he was – as if being clumsy was something to be proud of.

And with Shige being like a shark with the scent of blood when it came to making Tsuna miserable, he had no qualms with joining right in with her and agreeing.

“This is _simple stuff_ , Dame-Tsuna. You can’t even manage this?”

Tsuna didn’t respond, hoping he could struggle through another problem before— Nope.

Shige snatched the papers from under Tsuna’s hands, flipping them around until they were facing the right way. Tsuna sighed, staring at the long, gray line now running through his work. Shige snickered. “Did you get _any_ of these right, Dame-Tsuna? This is all easy stuff, too!”

Tsuna gripped his pencil and stared down at the table. This was his little brother. It wouldn’t be right for him to react or lash out. He had to be the older brother and do the right thing; which in this case, meant not getting mad at Shige.

“Are you even _trying_?”

_Don’t lash out_ , Tsuna repeated to himself.

“The teachers shouldn’t even try anymore. They’re wasting their time with you.”

Sawada Nana walked into the room before Shige could continue, holding a basket of laundry. Her face lit up. “My two boys – how’s the homework coming?”

The sneer on Shige’s face disappeared as he turned to face their mother. Had Tsuna not seen it happen a million times before, he would’ve thought it was magic. “It’s going fine, Mom! I’m helping Dame-Tsuna with some of the problems he’s having.”

And because Shige was Shige, their mother didn’t even bat an eye at the lie. “Just what I’d expect from my little Shi-kun!” She smiled, her pride evident.

Tsuna tried to remember the last time his mother had looked at him with that expression.

He couldn’t.

“But,” Nana continued. “Dame-Tsuna?” She parroted.

Tsuna wished the floor would open up and swallow him. It was one thing for his classmates to use the nickname but it was an entirely different thing for his _mother_ to know.

Shige laughed. “It’s this nickname some kids at school came up with for him.”

Nana frowned, readjusting the laundry at her hip. “That doesn’t seem very nice, does it?”

Shige shook his head. “Don’t worry, kaa-san. It’s all just fun teasing—” He turned to face Tsuna, the air of amusement disappearing with startling quickness. “—Right, Dame-Tsuna?” The threat was obvious in the words.

Tsuna shrugged and peered up at his mother through his fringe to gauge her reaction. For a brief moment, he wondered whether or not Nana would notice there was something strange going on.

She wouldn’t just let it slide, right?

“Oh, well if Shi-kun says so and Tsu-kun agrees, I guess it’s okay!” The grin was back on her face. “I’ll never understand you kids! Always so silly!” She giggled. “Should I start calling you that as well, Tsu-kun?”

Tsuna very quietly slipped his hands under the table and clenched them into fists.

It was one thing not to expect much. It was something else to be proven right.

[1]

“Oh, we’re out of milk, Tsu-kun. Could you do Mama a favor and pick some up?”

Tsuna looked up from the book he was reading for class – and for once, he actually understood it. Perhaps the world was ending – and then glanced over at his brother, shouting at the television as he played his new video game.

She placed a hand on her cheek. “I would go myself but I promised Shi-kun I’d help him with his homework.”

Tsuna tried again: pointed look down at his work and then over to his brother who was goofing off. Did she just not realize that _he_ was currently working on homework—?

Nana cocked her head to the side. “Tsu-kun?”

He shook his head. Who was he kidding? He sighed and shut the book. “Sure, kaa-san.”

She clasped her hands under her chin and smiled at him. “Oh, thanks, Tsu-kun. I’m so glad Mama can count on you. Always so reliable, just like your brother!” She shuffled off to the living room. “Shi-kun, is now a good time for you?”

“Mom, I’m _winning_ ,” Shige whined. “Go away – I’ll do my homework later.”

It was all for his brother, even though it sometimes seemed a bit unfair. And after a certain point, complaining about it became moot. Tsuna sighed and got up from the table to head toward the entryway.

He was trying to do what his dad had asked of him but Shige made it difficult. For all that they were related by blood, Tsuna was beginning to wonder just where from his brother had spawned. It sometimes seemed like Shige didn’t have a decent bone in his body – no compassion, no honor, no room for anything else that didn’t focus on himself and his needs.

And Tsuna was beginning to realize that those were things weren’t planning to make any sort of appearance in his brother’s personality any time soon.

Still, Tsuna respected obligation and family and even with the… discord between them, he’d do his job as the older (even if only by twelve minutes) brother.

He’d just finished putting on his shoes when, from the other room, his brother shouted, “Don’t trip and ruin all the groceries this time, Dame-Tsuna. Prove that you can handle _some_ things, would you?”

Tsuna rolled his eyes and wished that he wasn’t so easy to blush. He face practically caught on fire whenever he became embarrassed.

Nana bustled about nearby but said nothing. The saddest part was Tsuna didn’t know if she was missing Shige’s innate cruelty or just ignoring it. Either way, he was on his own.

He mumbled a quiet, “Ittekimasu,” under his breath and left the house.

He made it to the store in ten minutes, grabbed the cheapest milk he could find – for all that Nana had requested his help, she’d forgotten to give him money and he only had so much allowance – and left, which was about when the trouble started.

He caught sight of a group of boys staring at him. All of them were wearing the Namimori elementary school uniform and all of them were friends of Shige. Needless to say, he knew enough about them and their personalities to clutch the milk to his chest and break into a run.

He’d choose cowardice and less bruises any day without hesitation.

Bullies who preferred the more physical idea of action – other than Shige - had become a common fixture in his life of late and he’d been forced to take measures to make sure that he didn’t one day return home beaten bloody. (Although sometimes, in his darker moments, he wondered if Nana would even notice if he came home with such injuries. If she would notice him, just the once, it might almost make the wounds worth it.)

After the third narrow escape from a group of kids who seemed to embrace Shige’s particular brand of cruelty, he’d painstakingly mapped out the city and forced himself to memorize the fastest way to get anywhere. (He couldn’t do basic algebra but large-scale memorization didn’t even faze him. It was always the practical things he seemed to pick up and— now was not the time to be thinking about this.)

_How did they even find me?_ Did he have a target painted on him? Recently, it seemed like he couldn’t go anywhere without managing to get into some sort of trouble, especially from bullies.

It also hadn’t escaped his notice that most of the bullies were people who crowded around Shige.

As if Shige would ever give them the love and affection they all seemed to want. He didn’t even know what those words _meant_.

And his mother wondered why Tsuna didn’t like to leave the house. Even with him living with Shige, the odds of him getting ganged up on and seriously injured were much lower than in public.

He tripped over nothing – what a time for his clumsiness to kick in – and stumbled. With every second that passed, his ability to get away unscathed dropped.

He scoured his mental map of the city for directions and turned to the left, heading toward an old bakery his parents used to like. Next to the old shop was an alleyway that opened onto a busy street, filled with the type of open-air market stalls that drew large crowds of people. He’d be able to lose his pursuers and it would only add an extra fifteen or so minutes to his journey home.

As a plan, it would have to do. The bullies’ pounding footsteps behind him weren’t getting any further away.

He made it to the bakery and careened around the corner, only to stop so quickly he stumbled and fell. In front of him and blocking the way to the other side of the alley was a large sign attached to a wire fence: CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION.

Tsuna groaned, heart trying to escape from his throat. He couldn’t climb over it – it was too high and there weren’t even enough handholds.

Knowing his luck, he’d manage to hurt himself even further in the attempt.

Before he could decide on another plan, someone shoved him from behind. The milk fell from his hands. He skinned the palm of his hands as he tried to break his fall. _It hasn’t even started yet and I’m already bleeding – this is going to be **great**._

“Forcing us to chase you was a bad idea.”

Tsuna took one last, desperate look toward the barricade before hunching down and trying to make himself into as small a target as possible. As long as he could protect the most critical parts of his body while the bullies took out their frustration – or what, was it joy? Anger? Tsuna didn’t know – on him, he’d live to see another day.

It was better to just sit there and take it instead of fighting back and making it worse, right?

As soon as he stopped moving, the kicks and jeers started. Like clockwork.

“Dame-Tsuna, you can’t do anything right.”

“You’re a waste of space.”

“You can’t even compare to Shige.”

“It’s no wonder your dad is never home – he can’t stand to be around such a useless son, eh?”

“Why can’t you do everyone a favor and just leave?”

And around and around it went, a veritable whirlwind of the fears he was slowly beginning to believe. Each statement was punctuated by a swift kick to his side, or the back of his head, or his hands – whatever part of his body they could reach.

_At least they’re not picky_ , he thought. Only a kick to the arms he’d placed over his chest stopped a hysterical giggle from emerging from his mouth.

“Herbivores. You’re crowding.”

Everything stopped. One of the bullies might have squeaked.

Tsuna peeked an eye open – neither eye had started to swell yet; it was looking like it might turn out to be a good day after all – at the newcomer’s voice. Tsuna hadn’t known a beating to stop so abruptly.

But when he caught sight of the newcomer, it was easy to understand the others’ reactions. Standing there was Hibari Kyouya, the famed disciplinarian and peacekeeper for Namimori. He seemed to be on a one-man mission to make sure that everything functioned normally and smoothly within the city. His primary form of motivation was violence, same as every other Hibari who’d ever made a name for themselves.

_Everyone_ knew the Hibari family – heck, they were the only reason that Namimori managed to exist mostly in peace. It was a fact: disorderly conduct of any sort would be met with swift retribution by one of the Hibari family members.

In the last few years, with the relative stability of the city, many of the members had left to other places in the world, leaving Hibari as the only one in Namimori. As the youngest member, it was no surprise that people thought the rules would be a bit more lax under him. The criminals and seedier individuals gained confidence from his singular presence.

Hibari seemed on a mission to make every single one of them realize that that was a mistake. He was a one-man force of nature and nothing could stand in the way of his convictions. Kami-sama help anyone who tried.

And he was only _eight_ , just two years older than himself.

Tsuna couldn’t help but admire Hibari Kyouya on some level. Not that he could ever tell Hibari that. He’d die for sure. (Although whether it’d be from humiliation or from a swift tonfa to the face was still a toss-up.)

Hibari said nothing as he took in the situation. Tsuna hoped the fact that he was a victim – and not actively participating in any sort of “crowding” – would work in his favor. Then again, everyone knew that Hibari had many neuroses when it came to protecting Namimori and an uncountable number of triggers for each of them.

Yeah, Tsuna wasn’t holding out much hope for his immediate future.

Clearly, one of the bullies had the same thought. The boy’s eyes were wide as he pushed his friends out of the way and bolted for the mouth of the alleyway, where Hibari was still standing.

Tsuna winced when Hibari knocked the boy down with nary a glance or visible form of effort. (Still, the kid had been asking for it. Trying to get past Hibari when Hibari clearly wasn’t having it? Bad idea all around.)

As if that had been a signal, Hibari stalked toward the two remaining boys, both of whom looked like they’d willingly sell their souls to be anywhere else in the world.

Tsuna dragged himself out of the way and ended up huddled against the wall. It had the added effect of giving him a front row seat to Hibari biting the bullies to death for disrupting the peace.

It was like watching a dance – a very brutal, gruesome one – that had the sounds of metal hitting flesh and flesh hitting pavement as the morbid soundtrack. Still, there was an inherent grace in Hibari’s movements, one that proved his experience and his love for fighting.

In that instant, Tsuna knew all of those rumors he’d heard about Hibari’s abilities were true.

It didn’t take long for Hibari to finish, lowering his tonfas only after the last boy stopped moving. He didn’t turn around.

For a moment, Tsuna wondered and hoped that maybe, just maybe, Hibari had forgotten about him.

“Herbivore.”

_Yeah, nope._ Tsuna froze. What was he supposed to say? _Was_ there anything he could say that wouldn’t result in an additional beating? But then he realized that Hibari might take a lack of a response as an affront. He needed to say something—

“For future reference, I hate crowding.” Hibari tucked his tonfa back into his jacket and walked away.

_That’s it?_ Tsuna paused before patting himself down just to make sure Hibari-san hadn’t actually bit him to death and he just hadn’t noticed. Not that he was complaining but he _wasn’t_ going to die today?

He stared up and down the alleyway, as if he might find the answer painted on one of the walls. Then he realized what he was doing – Hibari had let him off and he was continuing to question his good fortune?

He liked to think he was smarter than that.

He grabbed the milk from where it had managed to fall and remain surprisingly unscathed and made his way home.

[1]

“Dame-Tsuna.”

_Crap_. Tsuna knew that tone – Shige wasn’t in a good mood. He looked around his bedroom for an exit, despite knowing that Shige was blocking the door and the window wasn’t actually a viable method of escape.

He was stuck and he didn’t even know what he’d done to warrant his brother’s anger. It had been a few days since the milk incident and he hadn’t managed to do miraculously well in any of his classes, he’d stayed out of Shige’s way and limited himself to five words or less when they had to talk to one another, and had done his best to disappear from the room whenever Nana was focusing on Shige.

Still, he pushed aside the revision packet he was working on (assigned by a new teacher who still thought Tsuna could succeed if he just tried harder – what a laugh – and hadn’t realized he wasn’t worth the effort) underneath the table so it wouldn’t get damaged should Shige turn this into a scuffle.

“I hear you got my friends in trouble with Hibari.”

Tsuna frowned before rearranging his expression into something that would – hopefully – not set Shige off. (Then again, everything seemed to set Shige off nowadays so it was probably moot anyway.) Shige was now going to get on his case because _his_ friends were beating him up and got _themselves_ in trouble? He’d sunk that low?

Tsuna choked back a scoff. Of course. He really should stop being surprised. He loved his brother but at the same time, he was beginning to realize that he didn’t have to _like_ him.

Shige slammed his hands on the table, bringing his face uncomfortably close to Tsuna’s own. “Are you listening to me, Dame-Tsuna?”

_No_ , Tsuna snarked mentally. Outwardly, he nodded. It was best to pretend to accept that everything – no matter how unlikely – was somehow his fault.

“They’re _my_ friends, Tsuna. They weren’t doing anything but because of you, they nearly had to go to the hospital.”

_They weren’t doing anything?_ He’d come home scuffed, dirty, and covered in scratches from his time on the ground. He’d lied to Nana and had spent the next hour trying to clean the gravel from the deeper cuts.

“What did I do to you that you’d want Hibari kid to hurt my friends?”

_Are you serious?_ Tsuna had a bruise in the shape of a _footprint_ on his hip. Only reflex kept him from voicing the thought. It wasn’t like Shige would care, anyway. Maybe his silence could count as a type of apology.

“I thought you understood how this works, Dame-Tsuna.”

Tsuna blinked at the non-sequitur, daring to meet Shige’s gaze head-on.

Shige glared. “Dad said it, didn’t he? As the older twin, you’re supposed to look out for me and make my life easier.”

_He didn’t use those exact words, no._

“You’re never going to amount to anything _anyway_ so stop trying. Instead, figure out how to make sure _I_ succeed. Then maybe you won’t be such a failure, Dame-Tsuna.”

Tsuna flinched. Shige had never been one for pulling his punches and he always – unerringly –targeted the weakest points (it probably helped that he’d given birth to many of them in the first place).

“You understand, right Dame-Tsuna? Your only purpose is to help _me_.”

He was _sure_ Iemitsu hadn’t meant that when he’d pulled him aside. Surely— But then again, how would he know? Iemitsu was never at home and hadn’t been since they were four. Maybe it _was_ what he’d meant. Because wouldn’t he or Nana have stepped in and put a stop to the situation if Shige wasn’t right?

He lowered his head and glanced at his hands, unwilling to look Shige in the face. He nodded his understanding.

“Good.”

Nana called for Shige from downstairs. He left without saying anything else.

Tsuna barely noticed. If that was what his dad had meant when he’d said to “take care of Shige”, then he was going to have to accept it. He’d deal with it somehow.

But he couldn’t help but wonder… _Where do I fit into all of this?_

There didn’t seem to be an immediate answer to that question.

[1]

It was their birthday.

Shige was all energy and excitement, awake at the crack of dawn and determined to get the day rolling. He threw himself from his bed, made a racket bumping around, and then tore from the room while shouting for their mom.

After the rude awakening, Tsuna took his time getting out of bed and getting ready. He managed to time his morning routine so that he existed the bathroom as Shige came hurtling back up the stairs from Nana’s room. Score.

He made his way downstairs, hardly able to feel excited about the day; he already knew how it would go. He, Nana, and Shige would eat breakfast together before presents were opened. Sometime during it all, their dad would call and for once, it would feel like they were an actual family and that he and Shige were equals.

It was a nice feeling and one of the only times he could rely on it.

He reached the kitchen to find his mother bustling about and humming to herself. “Morning, kaa—”

He stumbled to the side when his brother pushed passed him and barreled straight for the table stacked high with presents, chattering a mile a minute.

Nana nodded to Tsuna at the door and reached forward to ruffle Shige’s hair with her free hand. “Happy birthday, boys! Excited to be seven?”

Tsuna shrugged, having never understood why such a question even needed to be asked. Aging was just getting that much closer to responsibilities and death. He saw the way his mother looked tired and worn those nights when Shige was being particularly obnoxious and he wasn’t stupid enough to miss the fact that his father was _never_ home.

Rather than have to deal with stuff like that, he’d rather just stay young forever. Or at the very least, he’d rather not welcome aging with open arms.

He kept his mouth shut, though, because the last time he’d brought the subject up with his mom, she’d gotten the most peculiar expression on her face – the same one he’d seen on her face all those times in the immediate aftermath of his father leaving again.

If he had his way, Tsuna would make sure he never had to see it again.

“What’re you making for breakfast, kaa-san? It better be something awesome!”

So he said nothing – not that Shige seemed to be in any mood to let him – and listened with half an ear as his mother answered his brother’s question.

Just then, the phone rang. Tsuna didn’t bother waiting for Nana’s distracted, “Tsu-kun, could you get that?” before he was out the door and picking up the phone in the hallway. He’d take any excuse to not fade into the background again. Not on this day.

“Moshi, moshi. Sawada residence.”

“Which one of my birthday boys is this?” Iemitsu’s smile was clear and bright through the phone. Tsuna couldn’t help but return it, despite the jumble of emotion he typically felt whenever he heard his father’s voice.

On the one hand, if nothing else, his dad was reliable on this day. But on the other, the man had left his entire family to make money. He wasn’t there. (Not that Tsuna was going to start complaining about his living situation – women didn’t live in Japan as single mothers with two kids, a large house, and no job unless there was some other financial assistance going on. So, he could thank his father for _something_.)

He stamped down on the reflexive confusion, anger, and hurt. Iemitsu was doing the best he could for his family, even if it had the effect of Tsuna not really knowing his father.

Were it not for the pictures that Nana had determinedly posted around the house though, Tsuna wondered if he would even remember what the man looked like.

He tried to stamp down on the sliver of bitterness, too.

“Kid? You there?”

“It’s Tsuna, Dad.” Still, it would’ve been nice if his dad could at least tell them apart. Shige was all boisterousness and attention while Tsuna was quiet respect. Tsuna thought it should’ve been easy but apparently not.

He sighed and decided to stick with the fake happiness that was becoming more and more necessary as the years went on. There’d be less drama and headaches that way.

Just then, Shige stepped through the door of the kitchen. “Is that Dad?”

Tsuna refrained from rolling his eyes. Like anyone _else_ called them on their birthday.

Shige yanked the phone and elbowed Tsuna aside. “Just give it here, Dame-Tsuna.”

Tsuna rubbed at the spot that had been hit – might bruise – and shuffled from foot to foot. _Should I stand here and wait until Shige’s done?_

Judging from the rather nasty look Shige was sending his way, he decided to escape. He walked into the kitchen – tripping over his feet along the way – and headed over to his mother. “Mom? Is there any way I can help?”

“Oh, Shi-kun, don’t worry. Mama’s got it all handled.” She made a distracted noise before reaching for the box of pancake mix. “I’ll have some pancakes for you in just a bit – I bought them special for today! I know how you love them!”

_…I hate pancakes._ Tsuna pulled at his hair for a moment, just to check and see if it had spontaneously turned blond and he not noticed. But nope – he was still a brunette, which meant he’d been mistaken for Shige _again_.

With a sigh, he dropped his hand and said, “I’m _Tsuna_ , kaa-san.” At least his father had the excuse of living a few thousand miles away.

“What—?” Nana glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, sorry, Tsu-kun.” She smiled, and it was so warm and pleasant that he couldn’t help smiling back, despite the fact that _his mother couldn’t tell himself and Shige apart_.

But she didn’t seem to smile at him like that so often anymore – too distracted by Shige and his accomplishments, Tsuna sometimes thought. He’d take what he could get.

He was about to offer to help again – maybe he could start the laundry or something? That might help with her workload – when he heard the sound of Shige’s pounding footsteps approaching.

The door to the kitchen slammed open. “Your turn, Dame-Tsuna.” He seemed annoyed at having to deliver the message.

Tsuna nodded and headed into the hallway, trying to ignore the sounds of his mother’s giggle at the nickname. He didn’t feel like smiling so much anymore.

He picked up the phone, hanging from the table the phone sat on – didn’t Shige even have the decency to set the phone down instead of just dropping it? – and asked, “Dad? You still there?”

“Ah, Tsuna! How’s my other darling son doing?”

“I’m fine, Dad. How’s work?” He twisted the phone cord around his finger.

“Good, good, can’t complain. Everything’s fine for your Papa!” He chuckled. “But today’s too special a day to be worrying about little ol’, boring me!”

That didn’t sound like the truth _at all_. At least living with Shige had taught him what lies sounded like. It just had the unfortunate effect of making it impossible to believe much of what came out of his father’s mouth anymore.

He noted this lie – just like all the others – and added it to the list of things that just didn’t add up about his dad.

At the top of the list was the large question of what in the world kind of construction job Ietmitsu had that required him to travel _all over the freaking world_. After prying his dad’s profession from his mom, he’d immediately realized that something wasn’t right. Did his parents just not expect him to be smart enough to notice all the inconsistencies? It didn’t make any sense.

But as always, he didn’t question it. It wasn’t his place. He would continue as he always did, doing his best to try and help his mom while aiding Shige in the only way he knew how – staying out of his way. Hopefully his dad would one day make sense.

“Tsu-kun? Are you still there?”

Tsuna forced himself to focus. International phone calls weren’t cheap and this wasn’t the time to try and puzzle out his dad’s secrets. “I’m still here, Dad. But you probably have to get back to work soon, right? Kaa-san always says you’re so busy.”

“Mama’s right. It makes me proud that you’re willing to put my job ahead of your happiness on this special day of yours. You’re such a good boy, Tsuna! Papa’s so proud!”

_Papa also apparently thinks I’m some sort of dog._ Why his parents continued to treat him and Shige like they were babies was beyond him. There really was a limit for how long that was allowed to work on children.

Had he not been so used to it, he might have felt offended.

Iemitsu continued to go own, waxing poetic about all of Tsunas apparent virtues. Tsuna cut him off at the thirty second mark. “I really appreciate you calling on our—”

Tsuna stopped as he heard what was very clearly a gunshot in the background. Tsuna froze and almost felt his father do the same. “…Dad?”

He pulled the phone away as his father’s booming laugh sounded down the line. “Just some sound effects! Don’t worry, son!”

His dad wanted him to believe that he was a construction worker who traveled around the world for work… and who also dealt with sound effects?

_Right_.

“Now, I’ve loved talking with you Tsu-kun but my break’s over and I have to get back to work!”

_Another lie_. Even though there was clearly something big going on with his father, the resentment from earlier escaped the tight reign he was holding over it. Were they – Iemitsu’s family – just that unimportant to the man?

It already seemed like there were a number of things his father was willing to place above them: his job, his own happiness, their finances, his lies. Where exactly did they fall on the spectrum of his dad’s priorities? Were they even _on_ there?

Tsuna didn’t want to catalogue the well of hurt the thought brought on – because he was their father and surely they warranted a good portion of his attention? Didn’t they? – but was more horrified to realize that, alongside all of these negative feelings was a growing sense of bitter acceptance.

He didn’t _want_ to accept that his father was never going to be around. Just like he didn’t want to accept that more and more, day by day, Shige was turning nastier toward Tsuna and that his mother had forced so much fake happiness into the mask she let everyone see that the line between reality and fiction was blurring.

But it didn’t matter what he wanted, did it? He was only six – seven now – and it was a lesson he was learning.

“One second, Tsu-kun. Papa has to talk to someone.” Iemitsu’s voice went quiet, as if he had placed a hand over the receiver. Tsuna strained his hearing but couldn’t make it out.

There was another gunshot and the sounds of some yelling before his father was back on the phone, loud and clear. “Tsu-kun, Papa’s got to go! You and Shi-kun share your present from me, okay?”

Tsuna rolled his eyes. Like Shige even knew what sharing _meant_. Perhaps he’d be lucky enough to see the gift before it was ripped away from him. _What excitement._ “All right, Dad. Thanks.”

“Love you, son!” Iemitsu hung up.

_Do you?_ Tsuna didn’t want to examine that that was his first thought. He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time. His father was busy and he needed to understand that. It’d be fine.

He returned to the kitchen and froze at the sight of Shige tearing through the birthday presents – both his _and_ Tsuna’s – while Nana sat across from him with a plate piled high with pancakes.

“…Kaa-san? Shige?”

“Oh, Dame-Tsuna. You were taking too long so I started opening yours, too.” There was no sign that Shige felt bad about writing Tsuna out of their birthday tradition.

Nana smiled at them– first Shige and then Tsuna. “We weren’t sure how long you’d be speaking with Papa and Shige was just getting so impatient…”

_Of course he was._

“And I guess he just couldn’t contain his excitement!” Nana placed her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands. “But don’t worry, Tsu-kun, I’m sure there’re still a few left!”

Tsuna glanced down at the table at the lone remaining wrapped present. Shige stopped littering the floor with wrapping paper and stared at Tsuna, just _daring_ him to say something or make a scene.

Tsuna knew the drill well enough. It wouldn’t end well for him if he were to open his mouth. He’d have to be happy with what was left for him.

He’d just have to ignore that they’d always celebrated their birthday as a family, making sure that no twin would feel left out or less loved than the other.

Apparently, that was no longer the case. He was only seven but for a brief moment, he felt very alone.

Without a word, Tsuna pulled out a chair, placed some food on his plate, and began eating, eyeing Shige as he proceeded to rip through the last present.

Happy birthday to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** The Katekyo Hitman Reborn (KHR) characters, world, and overall plot belong to Akira Amano.  
>  The ideas of: Tsuna having a twin (who is a bully), becoming Kyouya’s friend before high school, and eventually moving to Italy are cywscross’s and have been used with her permission. Also, go read all of her stuff. Seriously, she’s amazing – everything she touches is magic.
> 
>  **Author’s Note:**  
>  (1) **This story will be GEN, outside of canon pairings** (like Nana and Iemitsu, for example).  
>  (2) I’ve written through chapter seven **but** I won’t be posting chapter three until I finish writing chapter eight. Just so you know!  
>  (3) If you notice anything in the fic that doesn’t make sense/is misspelled/etc, please tell me!  
> (4) I used -sama at one point but I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be -sama or -san. If anyone has information on which it should be (and can tell me why), I’d love to know!  
> (5) Cross-posted on FFN! (Same username.)  
> Aaaaaaaaand, I think that’s it! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> I’ve had this sitting here for a bit but, whoops. Who knew it could take so long to edit something…? ^^;

**_The Spare – Chapter Two_ **

Five months went by before he saw Hibari again. He was on another grocery run for his mother when he noticed a group of Shige’s “friends” following him, despite them having been absent since his birthday. Tsuna assumed it was a hangover from them getting beaten up by Hibari.

More than once since then, he’d wished he could be as powerful as the other boy. That way, he could keep his enemies away as easily as Hibari did. He _wanted_ to be strong but he knew it wasn’t going to happen. He would just have to enjoy the freedom he was granted and deal with the eventual return to the status quo.

Still, he’d grown to like not having to look over his shoulder every time he left the house. He’d suddenly been able to do all sorts of simple things without worrying about being bullied. Even going to the _library_ had become something liberating and wonderful because it was _safe_.

Determination to keep this freedom, something he never could have hoped for, had settled as a tiny flicker of warmth in his chest. He imagined it was a small, pure flame that he might one day be able to coax into a source of strength.

And yet, apparently the freedom he’d been enjoying had now passed. Shige’s friends were following him and there was no way he could make it back home before they caught up to him, which left him with little choice but to return to his old tricks: running, hiding, and eventually getting cornered.

He laughed at himself for even having _thought_ that he might one day be strong enough to dissuade them from bullying him. _I should just stop trying to run and get this **over** with._

Bitterness at his cowardly thoughts burned acid-hot in the back of his throat. The flame of determination sputtered and he figured it might be best to just let it die. There was no way it could survive his current situation anyway. It had been nothing more than a pipe dream and a fleeting bit of solace.

He changed direction, heading for a less populated area, turning down side-street after side-street until he was far enough away to avoid any Good Samaritan who might decide to try and help him today.

It hurt more when the bullies had to stop and then finish it later.

Five minutes later, he turned down a final side street, sighing at the twinge of _something_ that told him they’d corner him here. He turned to face the boys.

There were six total and three of them were those who had cornered him all those months ago. Tsuna gulped. With the addition of revenge into the equation, this beating was going to hurt more than he’d hoped.

One of the boys jeered, “Dame-Tsuna, we’ve missed you!”

He didn’t move as they converged on him, hoping that providing an easier target would make this go faster. The sooner they finished, the sooner he could go back to pretending that he’d one day be strong enough to fend them off.

 _Hah. What a joke._ No matter what choices he made, what things he dreamed, or even times he’d prayed over bruised and almost-broken fingers, he would always end up here.

 _Just accept it as a fact, Dame-Tsuna._ The nickname flowed so naturally in his thoughts and only a small part of him – the small flame – raised a tiny flicker of protest.

It didn’t matter if it protested. It would be gone soon, anyway.

He went down, head cracking on the pavement. It went like clockwork: jeers, kicks, and sometimes, one of them would spit on him in the midst of everything.

He curled around his most vital parts, wincing as a kick got past his guard and connected with his ribs. He wasn’t sure if the sound it made as it cracked was audible but it blared like an alarm through his mind. His next breath was impossible and black spots danced across his vision.

Between one blink and the next, the small flame seemed to take his disorientation as a sign. It roared to life and burned through his doubts as if they didn’t exist – as if it wouldn’t _let_ them exist.

_This has to **stop**._

He’d gotten a brief taste of freedom in the intervening months, allowed to act his age without being beaten down, without having to question his own worth within his life, and without having to just survive from day to day.

It was something he wanted to have all the time and _shouldn’t that be enough?_

The sense of _panicpainshamehate_ faded, burned away by a heat that reminded him of winters spent under the kotatsu or the comfort of a house after being outside. It burned away everything that was not _strength_.

And then he was calm. Controlled. There was a part of him now, encased in and tempered by flame, that whispered to him. _Roll to the left. Roll again until you’re near that boy. Get to your feet. Duck and dodge left. Punch out his knee._

The boy in question fell with a startled yelp.

Tsuna stood from his crouch and brushed off his pants. The bullies halted, eyes widening.

 _Freedom_ , the flame crooned.

He downed a second boy before they regrouped. Yet, none of their attacks could touch him.

Somehow, he’d gone from being the universe’s favorite punching bag to a boy who could hold his own against kids double his size.

He laughed, triumphant, and swept the feet out from under a third bully before turning to stare at the rest. He wasn’t sure what sort of sight he made but the remaining three bullies looked at him, looked at their groaning friends, and ran.

He didn’t give chase. There was no point – he’d never wanted to hurt them and refused to cross that line to become like them. All he’d ever wanted was to protect himself.

 _He’d done it._ His laugh this time was louder and lasted longer. (And even to him, it sounded slightly hysterical. He didn’t care.)

When he eventually managed to calm himself, he checked on the boys he’d downed. But before he could even toe at the first one, the flame – which had returned to its original smolder – burst to life again. He jumped back, just barely dodging what would’ve been a very nasty tonfa to the face.

Hibari Kyouya stood there, face set in displeased lines.

Tsuna doubted this meant anything good for him. Here he was, standing over three motionless boys with injuries. Half of Tsuna flinched, screaming in horror because sudden superhero status or not, Hibari was going to destroy him. The other half of him wanted to stop everything and thank the other boy for the being the trigger for his recent victory.

The flame advised a third option and Tsuna waited for Hibari to attack before he dodged again. Hibari’s expression smoothed out and Tsuna knew then he was going to die.

 _I won’t go down without a fight._ The flame hummed in agreement and Tsuna nearly stumbled when he felt it _move –_ and there was no other way to describe it, despite the fact that it shouldn’t have even been a physical thing – settling at his forehead and in his hands.

He glanced down to find that his hands were now encased in fire. Before he could do more than blink stupidly at it – _Is my head on fire, too? It feels the same. Isn’t fire supposed to **burn**?_ – he caught sight of Hibari raising an eyebrow and brandishing his tonfa.

There was no time to contemplate it because Hibari quickly proved that he wasn’t going to allow Tsuna to stare at his hands in bewilderment.

It was all he could do to keep up with the constant flurry of blows from Hibari’s tonfa. It wasn’t long before sweat began to burn his eyes and his breathing became more of a pain than a necessity for survival but somehow, with the flame’s assistance, he held his own.

There was no denying that Hibari was tough and Tsuna knew that eventually, the other boy would win out. Tsuna may have suddenly gained the ability to go toe-to-toe with Hibari but he certainly didn’t have the endurance.

What he didn’t expect was to retreat from a blow that had almost connected – neither of them had managed any direct hits yet but Tsuna knew that wouldn’t be true for much longer – and to hear Hibari chuckle.

Hibari. Laughing. The world was ending.

Seriously, today was the beginning of the Apocalypse. That’s why he couldn’t be surprised when, minutes later, he managed to grab both of Hibari’s wrists and increase the flames’ potency. The other boy dropped his tonfa with a grunt of pain.

Hibari, weaponless, backed away further than he had during the entire fight. His expression flattened but his gaze didn’t move from Tsuna’s face, tracking back and forth.

The flame radiated smug satisfaction.

Tsuna panted, limbs trembling and wanting nothing more than to fold underneath him. But collapsing into a puddle of goo would destroy whatever strange ceasefire they’d settled upon.

(There was no way he would manage to survive a second round.)

That didn’t mean he needed to stay here and wait for Hibari to change his mind, though. The flame tapered off and returned to its original position, just waiting for him to call it again.

Using sheer stubbornness as his only source of energy – and oh, _hell_ , he’d forgotten about that rib – he sketched a hasty bow and retreated backwards, never allowing his gaze to stray from Hibari’s face.

The other boy made no movement toward him, just letting him go.

The onset of the Apocalypse, indeed.

[2]

Tsuna opened the door to his house, toeing off his shoes and trying to ignore how every single one of his muscles cried in pain. “Tadaima.”

Somehow, he’d made it back home. All he could look forward to was taking a bath, wrapping his ribs, falling into bed, and not moving for the next millennia.

It seemed like a foolproof plan until he looked down and realized that there were two extra pairs of shoes in the entryway. He groaned and slumped against the wall. _Guests, really? Of all the days, it had to be today?_ He cried along with his muscles, visions of his imminent relaxation crumbling.

Guests meant being a good host, which meant that _Tsuna_ was expected to be a good host because Shige certainly wasn’t going to pick up any slack and Nana typically took over the role of conversationalist.

 _Maybe I can just fall asleep out here?_ A boisterous laugh from the other room, followed by his mother’s giggles, and Ieshige’s chatter killed that idea instantly.

 _I recognize that laugh._ He sighed. _Dad’s home._ Perhaps he should find the idea more surprising or exciting or… _something_. But that was impossible, knowing that Iemitsu wasn’t going to be around for very long. A few days, maybe. A week, if they were lucky.

 With another sigh, he trudged toward the living room. _Time to be polite and energetic, like the son I’m definitely **not**_.Didn’t Shige do it well enough? Couldn’t Tsuna just fade into the background like normal?

(His rib was calling enough attention for the both of them, anyway.)

Tsuna rolled his eyes and shoved his battered hands into his pockets before walking into the living room. Then he froze, heart stuttering as he caught sight of his family and an old man who must’ve arrived with his father.

Iemitsu, Nana, and Shige were facing away from him but their contentment was nearly palatable. Shige was braced on his arms on the table, peering at something Iemitsu was showing him, his smile brighter than it had been in _months_. Nana seemed more relaxed, her shoulders loose with joy.

They looked like a family. They looked like a family _without him there_.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring at the heartwarming scene and wishing he could be a part of it (although he couldn’t be. As soon as he tried, Shige would shut down, Nana would stress about the sudden change in Shige’s attitude, and Iemitsu’s good mood would fade into confusion) before the old man looked up and noticed him.

Tsuna masked his longing with an ease he wished he lacked and waited to see how the stranger would react.

The old man’s expression flickered with surprise before it turned grave. His gaze shifted to Iemitsu for a moment before returning to Tsuna.

After a long moment, the man coughed into his hand and Tsuna was treated to the strange sight of his father cutting himself off mid-sentence and tensing, all of his attention suddenly on the old man. But no one else seemed to find this strange and all the old man did was tip his head in Tsuna’s direction.

Iemitsu’s face broke into a large grin. “Oh, Tsu-kun! We were wondering where you’d gotten to!”

 ** _That’s_** _doubtful_. But Nana and Shige were turning to face him as well, and Tsuna could tell from their expressions that they were displeased. It was likely Shige was mad because Tsuna had returned and Nana wasn’t happy because he’d taken so long to return.

He couldn’t win with either of them.

His hands sent out a jolt of pain as he clenched them in his pockets and he forced himself to relax. For one, tension was definitely not going to help his rib and he didn’t want to aggravate any of his wounds.

At least there hadn’t been any blood this time – just the cracked rib and the strange sense of fatigue originating from the flame in his chest. If he didn’t know any better, he’d have said it was tired. _Heh. You and me both, buddy._ And now he was talking to it – perhaps he’d hit his head on the concrete harder than he’d thought.

Shige’s voice broke into his thoughts, tone as pleasant as it normally was… which was to say not-at-all-pleasant. “Geez, Tsuna. Could you have taken any longer? We’ve been waiting her for _hours_.”

It was reflex: “Sorry, everyone. Next time, I’ll not stay out so long by myself.”

Iemitsu raised an eyebrow before glancing at Nana. “You let him run around town alone?”

She tilted her head to the side, expression confused. “Of course. Tsu-kun has always been so reliable. It’s Shi-kun who’s a handful. I can’t keep my eyes off of him for one second!” She smiled, tone amused, as if she was sharing a joke.

Ha. Ha. _He_ certainly didn’t find it funny.

Iemitsu glanced between Nana, Tsuna, and Shige, visibly unconvinced. “But he’s only seven.”

Nana reached across the table and placed a hand on Iemitsu’s arm. “Don’t worry. With Tsu-kun, I can just leave him alone and he manages all on his own.”

Tsuna very much wanted to say something along the lines of how her idea of responsibility felt a whole lot like abandonment instead. But Shige’s expression was slowly turning resentful, signaling that now was not the time to protest. ( _When **will** be the time to protest?_ ) So he cleared his throat and caught his father’s eye. “It’s fine, Dad. I manage.”

Iemitsu frowned a bit before nodding slowly. “If you say so, Tsu-kun… I guess it’s all right.”

 _Shouldn’t Dad protest more?_ He smothered the voice. He didn’t want that question answered.

Silence lulled for a few moments before the old man stood up and walked over to Tsuna. “Good afternoon, Tsunayoshi-kun. My name is Timoteo. I’m your father’s Boss.”

(Why did it sound like he’d capitalized that last word?)

Timoteo reached out for a handshake. Tsuna, after glancing at both of his parents to make sure he wasn’t going to do something horrible and culturally-offensive by taking the man’s hand, clasped hands with his father’s boss and said, “It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for taking such good care of our dad.”

Timoteo chuckled. “Oh, you’re a polite one, aren’t you?” He glanced over his shoulder. “This is a sweet little boy you have, Iemitsu.”

Iemitsu chuckled as well. “Good job, Tsu-kun! Way to make Papa proud.”

Tsuna forced himself not to look at Shige. His brother was going to be _pissed_ that Tsuna had just received a compliment.

A muscle in Tsuna’s back decided to take that moment and _throb_. Right. Now was _not_ the time to be exchanging pleasantries. Withholding a wince, he pulled his hand away from Timoteo’s. “It’s good to meet you—” He paused, trying to figure out which suffix to use. “—Uhm, Timoteo-sama?”

Timoteo ruffled his hair. “No need to be so formal, Tsunayoshi. We’re all friends here.”

“…Timoteo-ojisan, then,” he compromised after a moment.

Timoteo smiled. “Why don’t you take a seat and tell us about your little outing?” He took a look at Tsuna’s clothing before gesturing at it. “Seems like it was a bit of an adventure.”

Tsuna looked down and sighed at the dirt stains and scuff marks on his clothing. He’d gotten so used to this being the normal state of his clothes that he’d forgotten that someone new might decide to comment on him.

But Shige, never one to ignore an opportunity, piped up. “Tsuna’s super clumsy, Timoteo-jiji.”

(Tsuna about had a heart attack as he heard Shige’s moniker for _their father’s boss_. Old man Timoteo? _Really?_ )

“Clumsy? Is that so, Tsunayoshi-kun?” Timoteo asked.

Tsuna nodded and ducked his head in false shame, knowing that it would get him out of this situation without too many questions. And considering that another cluster of nerves chose that moment to say hello, how are you, have some pain, it seemed like a _great_ plan.

“Don’t worry,” Timoteo responded while ruffling his hair again. “You’ll grow out of it.”

 _Grow out of being bullied by Shige and all his lackeys? Right._ He shuffled his feet and ducked his head further. “Actually, I’m a bit tired. Could I rest until dinner?”

Nana made a shooing motion toward the stairs. “Go ahead, Tsu-kun. That reminds me that I should go get started on the food.”

Iemitsu and Timoteo exchanged a look before Iemitsu said, “Go rest up while your mom makes dinner, Tsu-kun. The rest of us will just go outside and play for a bit. We’ll wake you for dinner, all right?”

And just like that, he was written out of “Family Fun Time.”

A part of him, despite knowing it was futile, just wanted one of them to follow him and question why he was so quick to sequester himself away in his room, away from his family.

No one did.

[2]

Later that night, after Tsuna had managed to wrap all of his wounds and suffer through dinner, he tried to figure out _what_ had happened earlier during the fight. Flames had sprouted from his hands and he’d managed to _beat Hibari in a fight_. Not normal.

And then, there was the fact that he’d found it possible to now ignite his hands at will. Not for very long, apparently – after the third time he’d managed to ignite a weak version of the flame around his fingertips, his body had kicked up as massive headache – but he _could_.

Still, _ow_. It was probably best to get some rest before he practiced again.

Resolving to try again in the morning, he crawled into bed and ducked under the covers right before his father burst into the room.

 _I don’t want to deal with him right now._ So, he didn’t move, evened out his breathing, and pretended to be asleep.

“Oh?” Then: “He’s asleep, Boss.”

( _Again_ , with that word sounding like it was capitalized!)

“Come on in,” Iemitsu whispered.

 _What are they doing?_ It was one thing for his father to bring his boss – _Boss?_ – home on a vacation. It was quite another to bring his boss into _Tsuna’s room_ while _Tsuna was pretending to sleep_.

Weird didn’t quite begin to cover it.

For a while, nothing was said and Tsuna implemented all his skills to continue pretending to be asleep. It would be weird enough to “wake up” when it was just his dad in the room but he didn’t want to deal with having to talk to his absentee father _and_ his older boss.

“Iemitsu, just talk to Tsunayoshi-kun in the morning. I’m sure it’s fine.”

Iemitsu sighed. “Tsu-kun was really quiet earlier. I want to make sure everything’s okay.”

Tsuna was, most certainly, not okay on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps his father was more observant than Tsuna gave him credit for. Either way, it was comforting that _someone_ had noticed that not everything was rainbows and dandelions in the Sawada household.

Still, it didn’t matter if Iemitsu noticed something right now. He was never home. Nothing would change as soon as he left. And even though Tsuna _knew_ that Iemitsu was off doing important things – few, if any, construction workers had to deal with gunshots, had bosses that would follow him home, and were too busy to live with their families – it still hurt that he _wasn’t there_ , especially when Tsuna could’ve really benefitted from his presence.

Timoteo: “Let’s do the test and leave before he wakes up. He probably needs the sleep. He seemed tired when he returned earlier.”

“Right. The test.” Iemitsu paused and his next words contained a strange note of vulnerability. “You’re sure that it will have to be one of them?”

“The blood of Vongola Primo runs through your veins, Iemitsu. They’re viable candidates but neither of them is my first choice. Hopefully, they won’t ever find out about this life.” And then, “May I?”

Tsuna heard shuffling as the men moved closer to his bed. He forced himself to take deep, even breaths, despite the wariness and curiosity that was vying for dominance in his body.

Seconds later, there were two fingers – warm, almost uncomfortably warm – on his forehead. It was weird – strange and familiar but uncomfortable, as if it was pulling at sore muscles. And whatever Timoteo was doing was making his headache worsen.

Warmth – flames? – and headaches. Was this connected to what had happened with Hibari? But how would his father or his father’s boss even know about something like this? For a brief moment, Tsuna wished he hadn’t pretended to be asleep because then he could ask some questions.

Timoteo spoke up, voice close to Tsuna’s face. “His flame is very weak. Even searching for it just now, I could barely find it. He may not even manage to manifest it.” The old man sighed.

“Are you certain?”

Timoteo pulled his hand away. “Unless he has somehow managed to discover the flames and use them past the point of exhaustion within the last five or so hours, he is much too weak to take on the mantle of Vongola.”

There was so much skepticism and doubt in Timoteo’s voice that Tsuna knew, with one hundred percent certainty, that he didn’t believe such a thing was possible.

(The irony that this was, in fact the truth, was not lost on him. Was his life just _destined_ to be a cosmic joke? Was he destined to be written off so easily?)

For a split second, he almost “woke up.” He could show them that they were wrong – he _did_ have flames. He wasn’t _weak_.

But before he could muster up the courage to do so, Timoteo sighed again. “I suppose Shige will inherit the Family, if necessary. I had just hoped…”

“I know my sons, Timoteo. Tsuna is not suited to run the Family.”

Not suited to run the “family”? _Fine then._ Any thoughts he had about proving them both wrong were crushed under the weight of his sudden resolve. They might not expect anything from him but he’d proven today that he could exceed expectations. He didn’t _need_ their support.

The conversation continued without him. “You’ve met with Shige and tested him. Based off of what you’ve seen, surely you see he’s better suited for the position?”

“You may be right. Ieshige does possess the qualities. I just worry about how he might treat his Family – it doesn’t seem like he and Tsuna get along very well.”

His father chuckled. “Boys will be boys, you know that. And they’re both still growing.”

Timoteo made a sound of agreement. “Still, such an event is unprecedented. Typically, in the rare case of twins, the elder sibling has the stronger flames.” He clapped his hands and moved away from the bed. “Still, someone would have to kill, Frederico, Enrico and Massimo before either boy will be mentioned. Don’t worry, Iemitsu.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Before I leave, I’ll seal Ieshige-kun’s flames so that Nana-san doesn’t have to worry about them.”

“That would be appreciated, thanks.”

 _Sealing the flames?_ Tsuna knew then that he’d made the right choice. He would practice with them and improve to the point where the thought of him being weak would be laughable.

The two men left the room shortly thereafter – his father brushed a kiss to his forehead and tucked the blankets more tightly around him – and Tsuna wished that the strange encounter had made sense.

Family? Vongola? What were his father and Timoteo-ojisan talking about? Flames? Inheriting? He’d gotten the bit with the flames… but because he’d used flames earlier, Shige might possibly inherit this “Vongola,” thing instead of Tsuna?

_...It’s probably for the best._

Even if Tsuna _had_ been chosen, Shige would have found some way to steal it from him and make it his own. And this way, with no one watching to make sure he inherited the “Vongola,” he could play around with his own flames in secret.

And then he would prove them wrong for dismissing him. He would show them he could be strong.

 [2]

When his alarm for school went off the next morning, he woke up to a few unpleasant realizations.

One: He was still very, _very_ much in pain. It was like every single injury he’d ever received in his life had returned and decided to settle underneath his skin, as if to tell him that hey, here was what real pain felt like.

Two: If _he_ was still feeling the aftereffects of using the flames the day before, Hibari probably wasn’t doing 110%, either. It was _his_ flames that had burned the other boy.

Three: He needed to do something to fix it.

Despite every aspect of his body telling him nope, nope, turn around, this is a bad idea, get right back into bed this instant, he forced himself to get ready for the day and make his way downstairs just as Shige tromped from his room and slammed the door to the bathroom.

Well, if his father and Timoteo-ojisan had still been asleep, Tsuna doubted that was still the case.

He greeted his mother, bustling around the kitchen and making much more food than any of them would be able to eat. There was a brief twinge of regret that he wouldn’t be getting any, but he was on a mission.

He explained that he was leaving early to pick up something at the convenience store and that yes, he would make sure to grab something to eat. With her blessing – not that he ever doubted he’d receive it – he stuffed his aching feet into his shoes and left the house.

Luckily, he didn’t encounter any issues while heading to the convenience store, buying burn cream and other medical supplies, and rushing to school.

Now he just had to deliver it without anyone seeing him. He prayed his luck would hold. He didn’t fancy explaining to Hibari why he was “crowding” around the older boy’s locker. Also, Hibari didn’t seem like he’d want any sort of apology at all; he seemed like the type of person who would rather forget the whole thing happened, considering he’d lost to someone who should’ve been an easy opponent

Still, Tsuna wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t try _something_. He ignored the fact that every part of him that wasn’t screaming at him in pain seemed utterly certain that his plan to do the right thing was a very bad idea. Firstly, it was _Hibari_ – the boy enjoyed patrolling around town and _picking fights with criminals because he was bored_.

(At that point, his brain stalled out because really, there didn’t seem to be any need to come up with other reasons for why he should turn tail and chalk this up to a moment of complete insanity.)

But no. It was his mistake and he needed to fix it, no matter the repercussions.

Determination was going to get him killed one day.

He gripped the bag of medicine and bandages in sweaty hands while shuffling down the hallway, keeping half of his attention on listening out for anyone approaching and the other half on counting the numbers until he had found Hibari’s locker.

Once he found it, he relaxed. For the first time in his life, Tsuna was glad that none of their lockers had actual _locks_ on them. Whereas that was normally a cause of embarrassment for him when people would take his stuff or leave thumb tacks and glue in his locker or in his outside shoes, for this moment, it was making his job a whole lot easier.

He opened the locker and set the medicinal supplies inside. Then, after one last check to make sure that he was still very much alone, he turned tail and hurried as fast as he could away from the area.

At the very least, Tsuna had tried.

[2]

“Herbivore.”

For a brief moment, Tsuna saw his life flash before his eyes. Not long after he’d put the supplies in the locker, he’d realized he was an idiot – really, who _else_ had injured Hibari recently and thus would have a reason to give him medical supplies? – but he’d hoped that the older boy would just let it slide.

Clearly, he’d been too optimistic. He just wondered how hurt he would be after this encounter because he was in no condition to do a repeat of the previous day; he was still in too much pain and even just forcing himself not to run was causing his muscles to tense up.

(Or perhaps his muscles were tensing because he had just caught sight of the death grip Hibari had on his – Tsuna looked closer – slightly charred tonfa. He was going to die for real this time, then.)

“ _Herbivore_ ,” Hibari repeated and Tsuna realized he’d never answered the first time.

 _Great time to lose track of your surroundings. Way to go, Tsuna._ Perhaps that “dame” title wasn’t so incorrect. “Yes, Hibari-senpai?” Hopefully his death would be painless.

The boy said nothing for a long, _long_ moment that felt like forever to Tsuna. And then he _moved_ , faster than Tsuna had any hope of matching. Tsuna only had half a breath to realize that he certainly wasn’t going to be winning any fights any time soon, ow.

Hibari kicked Tsuna’s legs out from under him and hit him – rather gently, all things considered – on the head with his charred tonfa. Then he stood up, stored the weapons wherever they went when he wasn’t using them and crossed his arms. “That was for yesterday.”

Tsuna sat there and blinked up at the other boy. “What?”

Hibari’s lip curled in something that looked an awful lot like “amusement” – but Hibari didn’t _do_ humor, it was like a law or something – and continued. “And you will serve your punishment for touching my locker with me, on the roof. Come – it’s lunchtime.”

Tsuna pulled himself to his feet at the order, his confusion mounting by the minute. He’d beaten Hibari in a match, touched and torched his stuff… and had now been invited to lunch?

 _Just go with it._ He picked up his pace and caught up to Hibari.

[2]

When he left his house the next morning, he stumbled over a package sitting on his front step, addressed to him.

When he opened it, he grinned, beyond stupidly pleased.

It was filled with brand new medical supplies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **I hope you enjoyed! Please read and review, if you feel so inclined! :)**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If you have a moment, I'd appreciate your thoughts! :)


End file.
